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Gas leak
suspected
In illnesses
Five employees of Rappahannock Fruit and Produce Co. in Sperryville were treated at Culpeper Memorial Hospital after becoming ill at the plant on Dec. 17.
According to Sheriff John Henry Woodward, the employees were working inside the building, where belgian endive is grown, when they complained of dizziness and nausea.
Sperryville Rescue Co. 7 was called to the plant, located on Rt. 1003 beside the Sperryville Antique Market, at about 11 a.m. Squad members transported several of the workers to Culpeper hospital, and several others went in their automobiles. According to hospital spokesman Charlotte Cannon, none of the workers appeared to have suffered any lasting effects from what appeared at the time to be a gas leak of some type.
Sheriff Woodward said that there was an unpleasant odor in the air when he arrived on the scene, leading to the suspicion of a gas leak. He added that either propane used to heat the building or freon used to cool the rooms where the endive is grown was thought to be the cause of the workers’ illness.
Rick Mitchell, an industrial hygienist with the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s Staunton office, inspected the plant and interviewed the workers. He declined to comment about the incident, saying only that “The case is stiUopen.”
Jan Hatchcock, an information officer with the Department of Labor and Industry, which oversees the occupational safety and health division, said from her office in Richmond that although no details could be released because the matter is still under investigation, she expected that a report on the incident would be issued by the end of next week.
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